2023CR664

Key Details:

• Victim: Angela Craig, 43
• Date of Death: March 18, 2023
• Location: Aurora, Colorado

James Toliver Craig, a 45-year-old dentist from Aurora, Colorado, was arrested in March 2023 for the poisoning murder of his wife, Angela Craig. Prosecutors claim he laced her protein shakes with lethal substances while carrying on several affairs and searching for ways to start a new life without her.

Background
James and Angela Craig had been married for 23 years and shared six children. They were active in their LDS faith and appeared outwardly stable, but the marriage was reportedly troubled by infidelity and financial strain.

Incident Timeline

• February 27, 2023: James ordered arsenic on Amazon.
• March 4, 2023: The package containing arsenic was delivered to his home.
• March 5, 2023: Angela arrived home from out of town.
• March 6, 2023: Angela became severely ill. She went to the emergency room and was released
• March 6, 2023: James ordered oleandrin from AdooQ Bioscience. It was later intercepted by authorities, before delivery.
• March 7, 2023: Angela visited an urgent care and was released.
• March 9, 2023: Angela went to the emergency room where she was admitted for inpatient treatment.
• March 8, 2023: James ordered potassium cyanide from Midland Scientific; that same day, he purchased twelve bottles of Visine at King Soopers.
• March 13, 2023: The package containing cyanide was delivered to his dental practice.
• March 14, 2023: Angela was released from the hospital.
• March 15, 2023: Angela was hospitalized in critical condition and placed on a ventilator; that same day, James purchased seven more bottles of Visine.
• March 18, 2023: Angela died.
• March 19, 2023: James Craig was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Google Searches

James Craig’s internet search history became a damning witness. In the weeks prior to Angela’s death, he conducted numerous online searches that, in hindsight, read like a step-by-step playbook for committing murder:

February 27, 2023: “Is there such thing as an undetectable poison”

February 27, 2023: “How to make poison from oleander”

February 27, 2023: “Is arsenic detectable in autopsy”

February 27, 2023: “How many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human”

February 28, 2023: “How to make murder look like a heart attack”

February 28, 2023: “A dose of tetrahydrozoline is fatal”

March 1, 2023: “How long does it take to die from arsenic poisoning”

March 6, 2023: “Visine”

March 6, 2023: “Tetrahydrozoline poisoning timeline”

Trial

James Craig's trial began in July 2025 in Arapahoe County, Colorado. The prosecution’s case centered on digital evidence, expert toxicology testimony, and Craig’s alleged motive—freedom from his marriage to pursue another relationship. The defense suggested Angela may have taken her own life, a theory strongly contested by prosecutors. 

Despite James Craig’s professional intelligence and clinical access to chemical compounds, his search history—and digital footprint—ultimately helped unravel the truth.